Earth moving machines are often seen at today's construction sites. These large pieces of equipment are generally classified as "backhoes" or "front end loaders" depending on the configuration of the machine's hydraulic boom and the earth moving bucket attached thereto. Backhoes and front end loaders are often employed at a site for specific purposes. The well-known backhoe with its relatively small bucket is primarily a ditch digging machine. On the other hand, the front end loader is usually employed in lifting or pushing large volumes of soil with its wide bucket. With the present inventive bucket attachment, a machine equiped with a bucket of either configuration can be converted into one capable of producing a continuous trench.
During conventional operation, the backhoe's hydraulic boom, equipped with an earth moving bucket at its distal end, is extended and retracted in such a manner as to excavate a depression in the ground's surface. Mechanical limitations of the boom restrict the length of the depression which may be excavated.
Human frailty coupled with the mechanical complexity of the machine provide substantial limitations upon a backhoe's use. Because the typical backhoe possesses complex controlling means, a backhoe operator must focus upon either digging operations or locomotion of said machine over the ground's surface at any given point in time. For this reason, the backhoe is usually placed in a given position relative to the ground while its boom is employed in digging activities. To extend an excavation beyond the sweep of the backhoe boom's reach, digging operations must cease and the machine must be moved. Consequently, the excavations of a backhoe are generally of limited lateral extent.
The front end loader, on the other hand, is best suited to moving large volumes of relatively unconsolidated materials. Such a machine is not particularly well suited to digging within the earth because of the large size of its bucket. For this reason, it is usually employed in pushing earthen material along the ground's surface or lifting such to a desired location. Excavating shallow trenches with its earth moving bucket alone is not possible.
With the installation of the present inventive attachment upon an earth moving bucket, the bucket is converted into a V-shaped trenching tool. As such, the bucket may excavate a trench while being moved continuously forward. Furthermore, the depth of the trench may be varied along its distance, and when employed in a different attitude relative to the ground, the attachment of this invention provides a means for backfilling the previously excavated trench and returning the earth's surface to its original grade.
The trenches or furrows excavated by the trenching attachment may be employed in a variety of useful endeavors. Among others, said furrows or trenches have been found eminently suitable for the installation of underground pipes and the like. Beyond this, the invention may be used to create fire breaks in wooded or grassy areas thus preventing the spread of ground fires which, if unchecked, cause substantial damage to natural and man-made resources.
I have thus outlined rather broadly the important features of my invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that my contribution to the art may be appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of my invention that will be described hereinafter. Such features will form the subject of claims appended hereto. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, my disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for the designing of other similar mechanisms for carrying out the purposes of my invention. Therefore, it is important that the aforesaid claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions as do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.